Summer is a great time for picnics, swimming, hiking and other outdoor activities. But you're not the only one enjoying the sunny weather. Summer bugs and insects are having a good time, too, and when they bite or sting, it can put a damper on the fun. The Northern Hemisphere is finally tipping towards spring, which means many people living in cooler climates will soon be trading out rakes and snow shovels for lawn mowers.
Regardless of which region of the country you live in, however, anyone who enjoys working in the yard can tell you that ant hills can easily mar the most manicured of lawns. Diatomaceous earth is a versatile material to say the least. Made from fossilized algae, it's a sand-like or powder-like substance that's used in everything from toothpaste to metal polish.
It's also a popular insecticide because it's inexpensive and easy to use. Ants are social insects, so when one ant enters your home, others may follow. Discover a few tips to help make sure ants get out and stay out of your house.
By using our website, you agree to our use of cookies to analyze website traffic and improve your experience on our website. Learn more about the types of cookies we use by reviewing our updated Privacy Policy. Types of Ants: Eight Common Invaders. Acrobat ants Worker ants are about 2. Argentine ants Argentine ants are about 2. Asian needle ants Asian needle ants are about 5 millimeters long and have one node.
Carpenter ants Multiple variations of carpenter ants exist across the United States. Crazy ants Crazy ants are 2. Dark rover ants The average length of this ant is about 1. European fire ants Workers are about 4 to 5 millimeters long. Field ants Field ants vary in size from 4 to 8 millimeters long. Identifying the types of ants you are dealing with can be a challenge. Treatment can vary depending on the species. For proper identification and a comprehensive solution, contact Terminix.
Get started today on a Pest Control Plan. If you suspect or discover an ant infestation, contact a licensed pest control professional using our Zip Code Locator. With summer being peak season for ants, experts at the National Pest Management Association are sharing the top four ant species frequently encountered by homeowners across the U. How do red imported fire ants survive flood waters? Learn about floating fire ants and get information on how to deal with a red imported fire ant sting.
Don't let pests like mosquitoes, ants, and stinging insects spoil your summer fun. Read our five tips for a pest-free backyard barbeque at PestWorld. These ants are small, dark brown or black ants that typically live under rocks or pavement, but have no distinguishable odor when crushed. Pavement ants often leave debris from their nests in sand-like piles near cracks or the edges of concrete slabs. They can nest indoors in walls or under floors. As far as diet goes, Pavement ants prefer sweets but they will eat just about any food they can find.
They will eat greasy foods, many foods consumed by humans as well as live or dead insects. Pavement ants workers can become a nuisance when large groups of workers forage for food inside your home. These ants are harmless to you and your home, but they are considered a nuisance.
Carpenter ants pose a much greater risk to your home than any nuisance ant ever could. Carpenter ants are a wood-destroying insect that attacks the wood that makes up the structure of your home. Carpenter Ants are among the largest ants in the United States measuring 3. They are typically black in color but some species may be red, orange or a combination of these colors. Instead they spit the wood out as they tunnel through it to create their nest.
Their diet consists of food that people eat, including sweets and meats. They also prey on other insects and small organisms such as caterpillars, crickets, earthworms, etc. Carpenter Ants play an important role in the environment by acting as major decomposers of dead or fallen trees within the forest, however, since they are very efficient destroyers of wood, they can become a very serious economic pest when they enter manmade structures.
What makes us different is that we focus on the exterior where ants originate, rather than inside where the ants are seen. By doing this, we solve ant problems rather than simply treat the symptoms. We offer several different types of services that will address your ant problems. There are two service options when dealing with nuisance ants:. One-time services will include proper ant identification by one of our skilled technicians followed by a treatment protocol that corresponds with that species.
In most cases, the service can be conducted primarily from the exterior of the home with little or no treatments indoors. Burgess added that although treatments for ants may be similar, there are differences in treatment protocols depending on the species you have invading your home.
Have you ever done a double take when you've seen a crumb moving across your counter? Likely the cause of its locomotion was a tiny rover ant.
These itty-bitty insects as small as one-sixth of an inch can range from dark brown to pale blonde and may congregate in large numbers inside on the top of your sugar jar or the lid of your honey. Also known as sugar ants, Argentine ants are typically found in the U. They aren't native here, but were accidentally introduced from Argentina and now form giant super colonies, according to Moreau.
Argentine ants are typically medium-sized and dark brown and usually nest outside. There may be times when you see large numbers of the ants indoors and then times when you don't see any around. Often they come inside in spring when it's rainy and they're looking for dry places to move their homes.
If you live in the South, you've likely seen these small red ants in the driveway or in the grass. You'll know they've bitten you when you feel their sharp, fiery sting.
Fire arts build mounds outside and like to stay in hot, sunny areas. But these aggressive insects will occasionally come indoors looking for food and water. These insects earned their name for the erratic way they move. Instead of marching in a line like most organized ants, crazy ants move in a non-predictable pattern. These ants are reddish-brown and about one-eighth of an inch long and are most common in Texas, Florida and throughout the South. They have a taste for sugar — and electronics — as they like to nest in circuits and wires to keep warm.
If you have a crazy ant infestation, you'll likely know it, as this New York Times story reports. Thousands of ants will crawl over heaps of dead ants. It will make you itchy just reading it. She suggests keeping areas clean by wiping counters and floors and making sure there aren't crumbs. Don't keep pet food sitting out and clean up after your dog or cat eats.
Pesticides aren't typically a great idea, she says. If you spray or put down bait, you'll only kill the ants that encounter it.
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